Western Earthbound fans were crushed earlier this week when Nintendo revealed Mother 3 was on its way to Switch Online – but only in Japan.
The Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase earlier this week revealed a host of games still on the way to the Switch later this year, but the Japanese version of the showcase additionally included the Game Boy Advance game Mother 3 as part of the expansion pass.
Fans were up in arms on social media, even going as far as to pester series creator Shigesato Itoi.
“Please talk to Nintendo about that, not me,” he said on X, in response to the game trending online after the showcase.
Even ex-Nintendo boss Reggie Fils-Aimé issued a follow up message to say releasing the game in the west was not his decision either.
So why the uproar? Mother 3 is the third game in the cult classic RPG series, known as Earthbound over here (for the sake of argument), but it’s never been released outside of Japan. As such, it remains a cult classic fans are clamouring for.
Back in 2022, Fils-Aimé broke a long silence from Nintendo on the game, stating the lack of western release was purely based on “business”.
That followed earlier comments from the game’s producer Shinichi Kameoka who stated Itoi’s “unique writing style” made translating “the charm and nuances of his writing” into other languages a challenge.
It’s also been suggested the game’s dark themes – involving death and implied suicide – as well as the inclusion of some dated gender stereotypes may also be a factor.
Still, both Earthbound (Mother 2) and Earthbound Beginnings (Mother 1) were added to Switch Online globally in 2022. It’s understandable fans are eager to play the third.
